Maxwell Frost: “Mr. Speaker, this rule is proof positive that the Republican majority cannot finish the job they were sent to Washington…”

“Mr. Speaker, this rule is proof positive that the Republican majority cannot finish the job they were sent to Washington to do. It seems to me that in addition to bringing about the revolution they have spoken of so often in the past 15 months, their responsibility, as the majority party, is to make sure that the trains run on time. Well, Mr. Speaker, not only have the trains not run on time in this Republican Congress, we have had to live through two major train wrecks, and now, nearly 7 months into fiscal year, most of the train is still off the tracks. But, Mr. Speaker, my Republican colleagues have added insult to injury by asking this House to once again impose martial law. And what does martial law do, Mr. Speaker? Quite simply, martial law allows a majority to disregard the rules that they once so vigorously defended when they were in the minority. For 4 continuous months the House has operated under procedures that, had they been imposed by the Democrats, my Republican friends would have screamed bloody murder.”